Mac V PC Debate….

seachto7

I had a Mac desktop I bought used before and it was grand only I could only update the system so far, so some things I wanted to use with it weren't compatible.
I swapped for a windows desktop which had more power than I ever needed and served me well.
I gave it to the folks when I moved to capital city. It's about 5 years old at least.

Maybe I'm buying into the hype and feel I'd be missing out if i didn't get a Mac

Ann_Landers

Deleted User wrote: »

Apples break as well. You just don't hear people talking about it.

True, kinda like when gamblers only tell you about their wins, but never their losses.

CIP4

I have a windows work laptop and MacBook Air mid 2013 model for at home. I find the windows laptop grand for work. However I really like my Mac it's 4 years old now and still works perfectly has caused no issues. I find it nicer to use, shut downs and start ups are effortless and fast also even after all this time the battery life is great from a full battery you can work away all day on a single charge.

Are they worth the cost well for me yes as my one is still perfect after 4 years use and still has alot of life left in it I've never had a PC to age so well. But if you are not into them you are not going to spend the well over 1k on them.

mzungu

Prefer the Mac.

Venom

seachto7 wrote: »

It's really hard to decide what way to go. Those gaming machines are pricey too.

seachto7 wrote: »

I should highlight, I will be using it for music, not games. SSD yeah. THat's what I've been told.

Anything PC wise with "gaming" in the branding is just the PC version of the Apple tax.

Seeing as PC and Mac's are running on almost the exact same hardware these days, is there really still such differences in the software used for editing music, photos and video?

Ursus Horribilis

Decent laptops are getting pricey too, I've noticed. If I was buying for myself I'd go Windows. I just like that there's more software out there for it and I'm most familiar with it as an operating system. I also can't justify to myself the price of the Macbooks. They're lovely and everything but Christ, the price of them. I've never had any particular problems with windows anyway so I'd not move. But I'm talking all about me me me here, not you

Royale with Cheese

I bought a laptop recently for the exact same purpose, music production and browsing/general use. I went with the top spec macbook pro 13 because fúck it, I fancied splashing out. It's a very nice laptop but it's not worth the extra 1000+ I paid for it over a top spec Windows machine. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have a lot of money to play with.

I've taken to MacOS fairly easily but to be honest I don't think it really does anything vastly better than windows, nothing I'm using it for anyway. That said I've Windows 10 running on it with bootcamp and very rarely find myself using it.

eeguy

I've never had a mac. Wouldn't mind one but most of the software I use is Windows only.

I have a work supplied fairly high end laptop and a MacBook Pro. The work laptop has better specs and is newer but is far slower and not even a patch on the Mac. The trackpad in particular is another's world, using the laptop is like having a boxing glove on compared to the Mac. Luckily work IT rules are fairly lax so I use my Mac for work a lot orb the time too, have it on the work network and have my files mapped to it etc.

Phonicks

For some people it easier to use something your used too

but for others its more exciting using something thst your not used too...as it fills your senses with different sights, sounds and feelings, making you excited, feel superior and even give you a mild "high".

This will make it depressing to go back to your previous machine or something similar

Hence posting "this is better" and "that is crappy" arguments, you just need to get out more and not worry about trying to convince people that your tat is the best tat

sozbox

Bought a MacBook Pro in 2010, the hard drive packed in 2014.

I called Apple asking them what to do, where I should bring it etc

They replaced the hard drive with one twice the storage and didn't charge me a cent. Still going strong today. Can't beat customer service like that in fairness.

diomed

Ann_Landers wrote: »

True, kinda like when gamblers only tell you about their wins, but never their losses.

I lost €400 on the last race at Royal Ascot recently, and have hundreds of stories like that.

Two PCs, one fast and the other one faster.
I've never been in Starbucks.

Ann_Landers

diomed wrote: »

I lost €400 on the last race at Royal Ascot recently, and have hundreds of stories like that.

You know what an analogy is, right? I was not making any comment on the gambling habits of Mac users.

Capt'n Midnight

Macs are PC's.

Either will run OSX or Windows or Linux or BSD or whatever you're having yourself , and thanks to Virtual Machines you can run all of them at the same time too


And it doesn't really matter unless you have a very , very specific need , like a fashion statement or bragging rights, because most of the time you'll looking at the interwebs or doing documents or consuming media.

Mr Chuckles

seachto7 wrote: »

Maybe this ain’t the right forum, but should be good for a laugh at the very least?

I’m in the market most likely for a laptop. A desktop wouldn’t be practical for me now.

Looking at a Macbook, but bloody hell, they seem, to me, to be way overpriced. I’d only be using it for general stuff and some music making, but nothing high powered. Demos using plugins etc.

Advice has been to look at a high spec Windows machine, like a gaming machine, which would have the power to service my needs, but from what I’ve seen, these can still be pricey enough.

The big question is, paying €1,200 for a Macbook and, say, €600 for a high spec Windows machine, which is going to last longer?

I’ve had laptops that have fried after a few years, so in the long run might have been better paying for a Mac, and it lasting for ages.

No CD/DVD drive is a let down for the Apples too.

And I won’t post the Snuff Box sketch either….

---

I'd recommend a convertible notebook, with Windows 10, such as the HP Spectre x360. Even when using it as a notebook, you can use the Touchscreen to move around, make text bigger You won't find that on any Apple product.

seachto7

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Macs are PC's.

Either will run OSX or Windows or Linux or BSD or whatever you're having yourself , and thanks to Virtual Machines you can run all of them at the same time too


And it doesn't really matter unless you have a very , very specific need , like a fashion statement or bragging rights, because most of the time you'll looking at the interwebs or doing documents or consuming media.

Main need, outside of interweb and word, excel etc, would be possibly accessing backends of websites to update meta data (if even), but also recording music.
Just home music stuff, so I'd be using VST plug ins and the likes. Nothing very heavy though.
Possibly a gaming PC would be too much for me, but your bog standard PC World one, would be too little for me. Somewhere in between possibly.
I was outside Compu B earlier and thought "nah f**k it"

deceit

deceit wrote: »

I use a Macbook in work and windows/Linux machines at home. I didn't have to worry about the cost so I choose the Macbook pro for work otherwise I would have chosen a Windows machine.

I would generally recommend users to purchase a windows laptop and save on the apple tax.
They are generally pretty similar in terms of reliability of the hardware and the OS (Osx and Apps seem to crash more for me on Mac but that could be work related more than anything else).

You will get inferior hardware in a nice shell with Apple laptops for twice the price of more powerful windows laptops.

Reasons I would pick a Mac:
Form was more important to you than function but if that's the case you can consider the LG gram Windows laptops or other high end laptops.

The track-pad and gestures are the best I've ever used on a portable device.

You want to use the Apple ecosystem for all of you data/entertainment etc.

You are more familiar with Unix like systems than Windows. (This is why I like it in work)

Very reply but I've had 2 Macbooks that were mostly great. They're a joy to use apart from the odd piece of specific software I've needed. You're right about the trackpads, they have that nailed.

At the moment, I have 4 Asus laptops for whatever reason and the build quality is around the same. You get a lot when you buy a decent Windows / Linux laptop compared to the mediocre stuff most buy.

As for OSs, I've used Mac, Windows and Linux extensively and would generally favor Windows. Windows is intuitive and is native for games, OSX is nice and friendly, and Linux is rewarding. Though I'm better at controlling a Linux server with a command line than I am at using it as a main OS.

And the notion that Macs are better for x, y and z is outdated. I can use all 24gigs of ram on my main laptop with a dev server, photoshop and indesign running while I jump into a session of the Witcher or some other serious game. Being able to do that is a big quality of life thing where I can work and take enjoyable breaks without closing everything and using Bootcamp.

CalamariFritti

Macs and MacOS are better than Windows laptops generally speaking, especially for the non expert user. They are easier to use, give less trouble and are a quality build. Windows is kinda messy and requires discipline from the user which Joe Soap never has. All friends and family laptops I get to see are usually infested to almost unusuable state with all sorts of crap including viruses and other malware.

Myself as a software developer I find Macs a much nicer and cleaner machine to work on.

Macs are better, but not much better. But they are much more expensive.
Does the much higher price stand in relation to how much better they are? No, clearly not. You could get a non Apple laptop with practically identical spec of a MacBook for half the price.

You could compare it to cars. You can buy a 30k Ford or VW that will get you around as quickly, reliably and everything else like a 60k Mercedes. No 'real' difference. The Ford can do everything the Merc can do or more. There'll still be people buying that 60k Merc tho. Because its nice.

DareGod

I used Windows for 20 years. Then I used a Mac for three years. (And no I never took it out in public or told anyone I had it.) There's no comparison. In spite of all the jokes and stereotypes, Macs just fking work. For the average user, there's none of the stalling or slowing down or all that bllsht that comes with Microsoft. Windows has had me infuriated beyond belief at times.

But you do pay for it. Windows you can get at up to a third of the price, but you get what you pay for. If that's all you need, then that's all you should get. If you've never found Windows devices to be infuriating, then don't waste your money on anything more expensive.

seachto7

CalamariFritti wrote: »

You could get a non Apple laptop with practically identical spec of a MacBook for half the price.

Out of curiosity, could you recommend a model? I'm still undecided. Leaning more towards a Mac based on a lot of the comments here...

TerrorFirmer

I've used both (had a macbook) and while I don't have any huge issue with them, I much prefer Windows.

Also not sure what you keep mentioning gaming? A gaming laptop is only different from a 'normal' laptop because it has an expensive dedicated video card. Otherwise there is literally no difference whatsoever. In fact a gaming laptop is far more likely to be unsuitable as many of them are bulkier to accomodate better cooling for CPU and the GPU.

With Macs you are paying heavily for the design, asthetics, etc. Some of the super sleek windows laptops are more similar in price to a MacBook, though still offer better value.

Not saying to buy this one but for example this is a good all rounder for €800 - looks great, light and sleek, with better hardware spec than the Macbook Pro with a gorgorous QHD screen (brilliant for productivity, editing, etc)

Shop around. Think about what your priorities are.

seachto7

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I've used both (had a macbook) and while I don't have any huge issue with them, I much prefer Windows.

Also not sure what you keep mentioning gaming? A gaming laptop is only different from a 'normal' laptop because it has an expensive dedicated video card. Otherwise there is literally no difference whatsoever. In fact a gaming laptop is far more likely to be unsuitable as many of them are bulkier to accomodate better cooling for CPU and the GPU.

With Macs you are paying heavily for the design, asthetics, etc. Some of the super sleek windows laptops are more similar in price to a MacBook, though still offer better value.

Not saying to buy this one but for example this is a good all rounder for €800 - looks great, light and sleek, with better hardware spec than the Macbook Pro with a gorgorous QHD screen (brilliant for productivity, editing, etc)

Shop around. Think about what your priorities are.

I mentioned gaming because I was told that the specs in a gaming machine would be more suitable to the specs required for recording music and the load that would take. But that info could be well off the mark ...
I'm not a gamer at all.

In theory that link you included could fulfil my needs.

sunrainmooncl

Have had both and have to say mac. Way, way better

Dramatik

Apple have a refurbished section, I usually buy them from there. You can usually more bang for your buck that way. Never had any problems with them they even have that brand new smell when you peel off the plastic. If you keep an eye out sometimes you can get some good deals, might be worth having a look if you're gonna go mac.

gramar

seachto7 wrote: »

The reason I mentioned a gaming PC, as it was suggested these would be good for recording music, and using plug ins etc, they'd cope with the load.

Do you have a big load?

seachto7

Dramatik wrote: »

Apple have a refurbished section, I usually buy them from there. You can usually more bang for your buck that way. Never had any problems with them they even have that brand new smell when you peel off the plastic. If you keep an eye out sometimes you can get some good deals, might be worth having a look if you're gonna go mac.

Still pretty pricey

seachto7

gramar wrote: »

Do you have a big load?

Jokes aside, not really. I have noticed, on laptops and PCs, latency problems with piano/organ/drum plugins, and I have to go back and edit afterwards.

Never really had this with Macs from my experience.

I'd usually record the keys separetly and turn off everything else, but nearly always have to go back and line things up with the click track.

But I've always been using standard laptops to do this, so that coudl be the issue.

Guitars, etc, I record with a mic, so it doesn't matter.

I would change my audio preferences to an external USB unit too, which helps.

Ubbquittious

I would buy a Mac but the nearest Starbucks is about 40km away so t'would be a waste buying one.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

musiknonstop

I love Macs and would have bought another, but they've priced themselves out of the market. Got a Thinkpad X1 Carbon to replace my 2011 MacBook Pro. It was a great machine and I got good mileage out of it.

Emberly Wrong Swagger wrote: »

Once you go Mac you'll never go back.